Oliver Kapanen remains red hot

One thing that the Montreal Canadiens urgently tightened up upon Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton's arrival was their centre depth.

HuGo as they have been coined by the fanbase, have drafted a total of 11 centres, emphasizing a deep group down the middle. Owen Beck is somewhere near the top of the crop of centres, but the 2021 draft, Marc Bergevin's last, was a generous parting gift to the new regime. Logan Mailloux (31 overall), Oliver Kapanen (64 overall) and Joshua Roy (150 overall) are Bergevin draft picks and good ones at that.

I would like to focus on Kapanen, who has been on an absolute tear in the Swedish Hockey League with Timrå IK. Since Kapanen left Montreal to continue developing his game in Sweden, he has done so emphatically. In my personal opinion, Kapanen's decision-making and processor were never an issue, and frankly, they never will be - but his scoring has been impressive - there might be something there to work with.

Amazingly Kapanen fell to the final pick of the second round, and I think there are many general manager's are scratching their heads. I'm not suggesting that he is the steal of the draft, like Lane Hutson (pick 62) in the 2022 draft. But Kapanen has the foundation right now, to fairly project his floor as a third-line centre in the National Hockey League.

I think that he and Owen Beck are going to form a brilliant duo on the Canadiens' third line, taking turns on faceoffs. Both players are so smart and savvy, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who believes they are just 20 and 21 years old. If you see their baby faces, that's a different story, but there's a maturity to their games that looks veteran-like.

Kapanen has been hot since arriving in Sweden, and the Finn, while technically in enemy territory has given Habs' fans something in Sweden to be excited about. Rasmus Bergqvist, is also a player to watch (Montreal's 2024 224 overall pick), currently playing for Skellefteå AIK. Back to Kapanen, however, it will be interesting as a Finn living in Sweden during the respective country's 4 Nations Face-Off clash on Saturday afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Laner

In honour of Lane Hutson's 21st birthday and Team USA and Canada readying for their clash on Saturday night, I thought we would relive some of his best moments.

I won't make this too long, because I want it to be read thoroughly, and don't expect anybody to sit here for 20 minutes. I think a highlight or two of his, showing off different dynamic traits that the Canadiens rookie blueliner extraordinaire has shown. Aside from having a lethal shot, he does essentially everything else at an elite level from the opposing blueline in.

Something that he gets credited for by the fanbase is the effort that he puts in defensively each night. I have seen far too many calling Hutson a defensive liability, and a one-trick pony. But that couldn't be further from the truth - sure he will get outmuscled and even beat in foot races - but he puts a big emphasis on his defensive game.

Anyway, without further ado, here we go.

Hutson dazzles Detroit with brilliant work on his edges and smart, but very skillful puckhandling. He keeps his head up and seems to think each play two or three steps ahead of his opponent. Anticipation, quick-twitch and squirrel-like speed and agility, often leave defenders in the dust.

Hutson's vision is possibly one of his top traits, and it helps him tremendously when transporting the puck around the ice. Each time he takes off, he scans and looks off defenders, never giving away his next move. Against Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, Hutson gave up about six inches in height and 42 lbs, but he displayed some man strength, outmuscling Tkachuk in open ice.

Lane is 5'10" and just under 170 lbs, while Brady is 6"4" and 212 lbs, according to Elite Prospects.

The boys also shared what they like best about Lane.

The consensus seems to be that he is quiet, but tactful and cerebral on the ice. But he also has a chirpy, edgy side to him - his sense of humour, and cheeky smile mask it. Calm, cool and collected, Hutson is a little warrior on the backend for the Habs.